Welcome to Cooking with Less Kilowatts! There is nothing better than sitting down in the evening to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal. But did you know that changing what you do in the kitchen can make an impact on your monthly electricity bill? Each week, I will help you find ways to cook using less energy while still getting a satisfying, flavorful meal. Trust me – I won’t just tell you to do everything in the microwave. I’ll help you cut down on your energy consumption.

Get ready to make a super-easy and delicious breakfast bake in the slow cooker loaded with breakfast sausage, cinnamon apples, raisins, pecan pieces, and a little maple syrup for a complete meal!

A Breakfast Feast! Right from your slow cooker!

Summer months mean sleepovers for the kids, and that means feeding a lot of mouths in the morning. Today’s recipe utilizes one of my favorite low energy use appliances, the slow cooker.

Start with a store-bought pancake mix as a great time-saving ingredient. With some versions, you need to add eggs, milk, and oil/butter, while other mixes only require water. I find the pancake mix from the box that requires adding eggs and milk is the best kind for this recipe because it sets up the best and gives a fluffy, but sturdy texture that holds the added sausage and apples well. Either type works for this recipe, and I have also used an old-school “from scratch” pancake batter as well.

Simple ingredients + easy preparation = Happy tummies!

To reduce your energy use even more, skip browning the ground sausage on the stove by opting for a bag of precooked, crumbled sausage. While I typically choose to brown the sausage myself as it is a slightly less expensive than precooked sausage, the price difference is definitely worth it if you are looking to make a big breakfast as quickly as possible.

I use the pre-chopped “cookie-size” pecan in this recipe. But if you don’t see this option in your baking aisle, grab any toasted pecan pieces and chop them up yourself to make them smaller.

Serve the finished dish with a little extra maple syrup, some fresh apple slices, or even a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

It’s important to layer the ingredients correctly so everything bakes evenly.

5) Pour ½ of the pancake batter into the hot slow cooker. Spread ¾ of the sausage (either the precooked store-bought or what you just browned) and ¾ of the cinnamon apple/raisin mixture on top of the batter.

Time to get cooking!

6) Pour the rest of the batter into the slow cooker, top with remaining sausage and apple mixture, and drizzle the maple syrup over the top.

Time to eat!

7) Cook on high 1 ½ hours or until set in the middle. You can check the “doneness” using a wooden toothpick or skewer.

Happy Breakfast!

Check in next week for another Cooking with Less Kilowatts series entry ready to help you create delicious, homemade recipes while keeping energy use and effort to a minimum!

Stacie is a Texas A&M graduate using her animal science education and passion for food to get creative in the kitchen. She previously worked in business before becoming a mom to a special little boy. She's excited to share recipes her family enjoys at home - and they may even help you save energy and be more green in the kitchen.